1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle storage. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and system that enables bicycles to be compactly and easily stored and retrieved from storage for use.
2. The Relevant Technology
Bicycles represent one of the most common forms of transportation and recreation. Many households own multiple bicycles. However, due to their length, bicycles require a considerable amount of storage space and a large footprint. Furthermore, bicycles are often leaned against a kickstand or some other object. Thus, they are stored in an unstable manner and may easily be knocked over or otherwise damaged.
Due to these problems, racks, hooks, and other storage devices have been developed. However, such devices also have a number of deficiencies. Storage racks may provide some stability, but often require as much space, or possibly even more space than the bicycle, alone, would require. Other devices such as storage hooks and clamps require the bicycle to be lifted and placed on the device. Bicycles are awkward to lift, and many people, especially children, simply lack the strength to lift the bicycle onto or off of the device. Also, if the hooks are overhead, frequently the person placing the bicycle on the hooks or removing the bicycle from the hooks must climb a ladder and lift the bicycle at the same time. This can be quite dangerous and has resulted in serious injury to the person and damage to the bicycle when the person becomes unbalanced and falls from the ladder, either with or without the bicycle in hand.
Furthermore, some known devices require that the user perform a number of additional steps to latch or unlatch the bicycle, or to move it between a stowed position and an accessible position. This makes bicycle storage somewhat inconvenient and, in some cases, provides only a minimal benefit over storage of the bicycle without any storage device. Some known storage devices are, themselves, quite heavy, bulky, and/or expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,613 entitled “Bicycle storage apparatus and method” describes a storage apparatus designed to be attached to a wall so that a front wheel of the bicycle can be retained against the wall. The general description and subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,613 is incorporated into this provisional application by this reference. The apparatus is disposed at an attachment portion of the wall with a height selected such that the bicycle is disposed with the front wheel generally over the rear wheel, so that the bicycle takes up a comparatively narrow footprint. However, improvements have been made to this general design to increase safe use of the general design and to afford significantly more versatility to the storage apparatus. It is these improvements that are the subject matter of this application.
Hence, it would advance the art to provide a bicycle storage system capable of compactly storing bicycles in a manner that does not require the entire weight of the bicycle to be lifted by the user. Furthermore, it would advance the art to provide a bicycle storage device that would enable a bicycle to be quickly and easily retained for storage or removed for use. Yet further, it would further advance the art to provide such a bicycle storage system that is compact, lightweight, versatile, and inexpensive.